My Friend, Nightlight
by H2O Pokemon FAN
Summary: Sadie Bennett's best friend is a ghost. When Pitch returns a second time, can she and her friend help the Guardians, or will she be lost to the thick shadows? Sadie(My OC)XNightlight Rated T to be safe. Jamie Sophie ROTG Rise of the Guardians
1. Prologue

**Hello, and welcome to my newest ROTG story, **_**My Friend, Nightlight**_**. Recently I got the **_**Guardians of Childhood**_** series and it is SO GOOD!**

**This is the story of Sadie Bennett, the older adopted sister of Jamie and Sophie. This mostly takes place about three years after the movie. This first chapter, however, does not.**

**(No One's POV)**

A young girl, only about three or so, turned over in bed and looked out the window at the moon in the night sky above. She wore thin, light pink, long-sleeved pajamas dotted with small purple polka dots. Giving up her hope of sleep, she sighed and climbed out of bed, going to the window. She leaned against the windowsill, her blonde hair cascading gently onto her shoulders. Her dark blue-almost black-eyes looked up at the comforting glow of the moon. An old lullaby popped up into her head. The lullaby had never been sung to her, and yet she remembered the words clearly. She began to sing it softly to herself, over and over, the words comforting her, though she wasn't afraid.

"_Nightlight, bright light,_

_Sweet dreams I bestow._

_Sleep tight, all night,_

_Forever I will glow._"

High in the sky, the song reached the ears of a particular boy.

He glowed in the night sky, like any other ghost would. He was very thin, almost pencil thin. His messy white-blonde hair sat in a mop on his head. His green eyes glowed with their usual delight and wonder. He was dressed in dark blue armor, which glowed with small white lights that dotted randomly on it. In one of his hands, he held a spear made with a diamond dagger on a wooden staff-like stick.

He had been dead for almost three hundred years now, and for some reason, this song made him stop in mid-flight during his job of protecting sleeping children. The song seemed to trigger an old memory again: a memory of a small baby boy that he, the ghost boy, had watched over. The memory came randomly, never staying long enough for many details to be seen. As it had before, the memory was fleeting and left before a lot of details could be seen. He groaned inwardly and floated downwards to see the little girl at her window. She had her eyes closed, as if entranced by the song. As she stopped, she opened her eyes and left the window, going back to her bed. He followed her in, floating through the wall. He leaned against his spear and watched her.

She settled into bed and was about to lay down when she froze, staring at the spot he was standing in.

"Who are you?" she said aloud, staring at him; not in fear, but curiosity.

He blinked, staring at her in confusion. "Are you talking to, to me?" he asked, his voice as airy and light as his eyes.

The little girl cocked her head. "Who else could I be talking to?"

He blinked again. _She... she sees me…_ he mused to himself. It had been a long time since anyone had seen him. Not even his old friends could see him very well. It had been even longer since a mortal child had seen him…his oldest friend, Katherine, had been the last to… "Nightlight. My name is Nightlight."

The little girl smiled at him. "That's an interesting name… My name is Sadie. Sadie Bennett."

"Nice to meet you," he replied. "Why are you awake?"

Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm having trouble falling asleep."

He smiled lightly at her. "Perhaps I can help." He floated over to her bed as she lay down on her pillow. He sat above her on the headrest and slowly waved his spear over her head. The moonbeam inside began glowing and started to emit dreamdust, which swirled above Sadie's head. She gasped in surprise and delight. She smiled at him one last time and then closed her eyes and fell asleep. The dreamdust swirled to form pleasant dreams above her head.

Nightlight smiled down at her little, sleeping form. But in the back of his mind, he was somewhat worried. She was so young, younger than Katherine had been. He was afraid of what could happen to her if Pitch found her, or worse.

From that moment, he made a decision: he would visit her every night and protect her from the dark. He would keep the one person who could see him safe from Pitch's nightmares and Fearlings.

As morning came, he kissed her forehead and wished her well until he saw her again that night. Then he took off into the skies and was gone.

**Well, how did you like it? If you want me to continue, just let me know. If not a lot of people are interested, I can leave it as it is. I really like this story and I hope to finish this, though.**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Do nothing and just fan-girl/boy on the inside? Okay!**


	2. Winter Jam

**I got several reviews, which made me happy, so I decided to continue. :P Jack Frost makes an appearance everyone!**

**[Twelve Years Later…] (Sadie's POV)**

I fixed my sparkling black hat on my head at an angle. My black boots felt a little snug, but I was sure that they'd be okay. The teal blue leggings looked snug but in reality felt quite fine. My sparkling black vest hung loosely over the teal blue sweater I wore.

The lady motioned me onstage. This was it. Nervously, my band and I walked onto the icy stage and looked out at the whole school. It was Winter Jam, and I had stupidly signed my band up.

I looked at my pianist Dan Hatcherson, who I nodded to. He nodded back and began to play a song we'd been practicing. After waiting a bit, I began to sing.

"_Hello, hello_

_Anybody out there?_

_'Cause I don't hear a sound…_

_Alone, alone_

_I don't really know where the world is but I miss it now._"

I looked out at the crowd, looking for my best friend. _Where is he? He said he'd be here… He _promised_ he'd be here._

"_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_like a fool at the top of my lungs…_

_Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_but it's never enough…_

'_Cause my echo, echo_

_is the only voice coming back_

_Shadow, shadow_

_is the only friend that I have._"

The drums started up just as I nodded to Jenna Walker, the drummer, to start. I smiled slightly, but my eyes kept searching the crowd.

"_Listen, listen_

_I would take a whisper if_

_that's all you have to give_

_But it isn't, isn't_

_You could come and save me,_

_And try to chase the crazy right out of my head…_"

I strummed my guitar along with Kenny Colt, the backup guitarist in my band. There! Was that him?

"_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_like a fool at the top of my lungs…_

_Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_but it's never enough…_

'_Cause my echo, echo_

_is the only voice coming back_

_Shadow, shadow_

_is the only friend that I have!_"

Another glimmer of light sparked up in the back. I could see his glowing smile from the stage. I smirked and strummed my guitar. Faith Darcy joined in as the background singer before I could nod to her.

"_I don't wanna be down and_

_I just wanna feel alive and_

_get to see your face again…_

_I don't wanna be down and_

_I just wanna feel alive and_

_get to see your face again…_

_But 'til then…_

_Just my echo, my shadow_

_You're my only friend…_

_I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name_

_like a fool at the top of my lungs_

_sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright_

_but it's never enough_

'_Cause my echo, echo_

_Oh my shadow, shadow_

_Hello, hello_

_Anybody out there?_" As we finished up the song, the crowd went wild. "Thank you, everybody, and good night!" I yelled, waving before we filed off backstage.

Faith's boyfriend came up to us. "That was awesome you guys!" he said, and pulled her closer to him and kissed her, handing her a rose. She giggled and we left them alone for a while. My band dispersed among the crowd backstage, going to say hi to others, until it was just me.

I felt something grab my hat off my head. "Hey there, rock star." I looked up, smiling up at Nightlight, reaching to grab my hat back.

"Hey Nightlight," I said. He floated down and placed my hat back on my head, smirking at me.

"You did awesome out there, Sadie," Nightlight said, smiling mischievously at me.

I grinned. "Thanks."

I looked over his shoulder to see my adopted family headed this way, my thirteen-year-old brother Jamie and my six-year-old sister Sophie at the lead. Nightlight looked back to see them and smiled. "I'll see you later, then." Then he lifted off and went off into the night.

"Sadie! That was awesome!" Jamie cried.

Sophie smiled at me. "You sang really prettily!" I smiled down at her and hugged them both.

"C'mon guys, it's time to go. It's freezing out here!" I cried, rubbing my arms. Why did I agree to this outfit when I knew it was snowing?! A chorus of "aw"s came from them, but we ushered them out and into the car.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

"Look! Look, Jamie! It's Jack! It's Jack!" Sophie cried, pointing out the car window. Jamie and I both looked out the window towards where she was pointing. What we saw made my jaw drop.

An eighteen-year-old boy was _flying_ outside the window, a flurry of snowflakes flying behind him. He had snow-white hair. He wore a dark blue hoodie, dirty tan pants, and was barefoot. He waved at us. Jamie and Sophie waved back at him enthusiastically. I waved back slowly, staring at him in awe. He seemed to laugh at my expression, and then he flew off.

**So, what do you think? I am open to any comments or complaints, just don't be rude, **_**please**_**. Also, any ideas you have would be helpful!**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Do nothing and fan-girl/boy on the inside? Whatever floats your boat.**


	3. Storytime

**Hello, again! I missed ya'll. Did ya'll miss me? Here's a chapter to make up for my absence. Next chapter will have more, **_**promise**_**.**

**(Sadie's POV)**

After I'd changed out of the outfit from Winter Jam and into a pair of hot pink long-sleeved pajamas, I walked over to my window, smiling at the sky. I couldn't see the moon, but I knew it was there; it was always there. I turned away from the window and smiled as I saw my siblings sitting on my bed, waiting for our bedtime story. "What do you two want to hear tonight?" I asked them, walking over to the bookshelf.

"Actually, if you don't mind, Sadie, I'd like to tell tonight's story," Jamie replied, grinning ear to ear.

I smiled as I walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "Okay, kiddo." He jumped up and ran to his room to get something while I curled up with Sophie on my bed.

When he returned, he had a regular-sized, three-ringed, one-inch ruled notebook. "The story I'm about to tell you is _absolutely true_. And it starts," Jamie said dramatically, opening to the first page which depicted a rather well-drawn picture of the moon smiling, "with the moon." He then rattled off on his exciting tale, using pictures he'd drawn in the notebook. I smiled as he showed us more drawings that were similar to the boy that we'd seen earlier, who, according to Jamie's story, was Jack Frost. Jamie was quite the little artist. Each of his drawings had plenty of details while still keeping their somewhat childish nature.

When Jamie came to a picture of a large gray rabbit, Sophie bounced up and down and cried, "Bunny!" She'd always loved rabbits, but this rabbit was odd, as it stood on its hind legs, and if it were real, would probably be about six or seven feet tall, not including the ears, which were a foot tall as they were. Her reaction made me ponder for a bit but I didn't question it out-loud.

Jamie continued his story, which was starting to make me wonder. If this story of his was in fact true, which I was seriously beginning to believe, then when did this happen?

"…And then Jack took the oath of the Guardians, which I wrote here: 'We will watch over the children of the world,'" Jamie said. As he spoke, two other voices joined in with him, one of which I recognized as Nightlight's. "'To guide them safely from the ways of harm, To keep happy their hearts, brave their souls, and rosy their cheeks, To guard with our lives their hopes, and their dreams, For they are all that we have, all that we are, And all that we will ever be.'" I looked around, searching for Nightlight and whoever else was speaking when I caught a glimpse of a glow outside the window. I smiled, Nightlight. There was another person there too, the white-haired boy who'd been flying outside the car window earlier. He flashed me a smile then flew in, pushing open my window and letting Nightlight in as well.

"Hey Jamie, Sophie!" the sprite-like boy cried. Nightlight floated over to me silently and sat on my head board like he normally did. He smiled at me, and I smiled back, like just two friends, meeting up again. Jamie dropped his notebook and ran to the boy and hugged him around the middle. Sophie jumped up and hugged him too. When they pulled away, both of them had huge grins on their faces.

"Jack! What brings you here? You haven't come to Burgess in ages!" Jamie cried happily.

The boy, Jack, laughed. "I know! I've become really busy, what with being a Guardian and all. I couldn't help but notice the girl you brought home; is she one of your friends or something?"

Jamie shook his head. "I forgot you never met her! That's Sadie, my older sister. She was out of town when you came the first time."

"Ah. Nice to meet- wait. Can she even see…?"

I crossed my arms. "I saw you flying outside my car window, and I saw you laugh at my expression. Do either of those ring a bell?" I interrupted.

He grinned. "Ah, then, nice to meet you. I'm Jack Frost." I blinked once, then twice, staring at him. I looked up at Nightlight, but he seemed as surprised as I was. "What are you looking at?"

"Uh, nothing," I replied quickly, turning back to him. I some-what yawned. Jack Frost looked out the window and smiled.

"Right on time, Sandman," he sighed. "Well, I gotta go guys. I'll see you in the morning!"

"Bye, Jack!" my siblings called as he flew out my window and into the dark night.

I sighed. "Well, it's time for bed. C'mon, you two."

They both gave me a hug and I walked them to their rooms, gave each a goodnight kiss on the forehead as I tucked them in, and thought about that oath from Jamie's story as I made my way back to my room. _Maybe I should ask Nightlight about it since he knows it…_

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	4. Shadows

**Hey! Chapter #4! Really hope you enjoy this cause this chapter is **_**long**_**. Plus, we finally get to hear another person's POV!**

**(Sadie's POV)**

I walked my siblings to their rooms, gave each a goodnight kiss on the forehead as I tucked them in, and thought about that oath Jamie had recited as I made my way back to my room. Maybe I should ask Nightlight about it since he knew it…

I walked back into my room to see Nightlight hovering by my window. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. "Something wrong?"

He turned to face me, and I thought I saw worry in his eyes. "Just…" He sighed. "I thought I saw several Nightmares, and I don't want them to cause trouble." I nodded understandingly. Nightlight had told me about Nightmare Men and Fearlings, and Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, or the Bogeyman. He had told me about the great battle against Pitch he'd fought in and how he'd died trying to destroy Pitch. He sighed again. "I'm going after it. Stay awake until I get back, okay? Promise?"

"I'm not so little anymore Nightlight; I can take care of myself. But I promise I will," I replied, blowing my bangs out of my face. He gave me a grim smile, before he took off into the night. I crawled into my bed, sat with my knees near my face, and pulled the covers up around me. I shivered, feeling slightly cold. The shadows in my room stretched from the small lamp lit by my bedside.

A cold voice made me jump. "Are you the innocent child they say who has never had a nightmare?" I looked around me, looking for the owner of the voice. A man with a sunken face, spiky midnight black hair, pale grey skin, and yellow eyes slinked out of the shadows. He wore what appeared to be a long, long-sleeved dress made of black sand. His yellow eyes seemed to stare at me almost… hungrily.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" I trembled. "Leave me alone." I was trying hard not to be afraid. I thought of Nightlight, and I felt safer. Even when he was gone he was watching over me. I closed my eyes, thinking about an old song. I began to softly sing it, the song filling me with strength and chasing the fear away. "_Nightlight, bright light, sweet dreams I bestow. Sleep tight, all night, forever I will glow._" I opened my eyes and glared at the man, who was looking at me curiously. There was a long silence that followed.

"How did you learn that song?" the man asked, finally breaking the silence.

I shrugged. "I've always known it."

The man mused over that, muttering to himself, "Interesting… Nightlight is dead and yet… and yet this child knows him…"

"How do you know Nightlight?" I blurted, cutting him off.

The man smiled cruelly. "Why, Nightlight tried to kill me, didn't he ever tell you?"

I caught my breath, my fear returning in great lengths. "You're the Nightmare King," I whispered fearfully. The man merely nodded subconsciously.

I heard the patter of footsteps outside in the hall. I heard Sophie's giggle and the turning of a doorknob. My siblings froze at the sight of the man and me. Sophie's smile fell, becoming a look of fear. Her and Jamie's eyes were wide in fear. I cringed, looking at them worriedly. Slowly, Jamie pushed Sophie behind him and stood in front of her protectively. "Pitch," he spat angrily.

"I never knew you were related to these brats," Pitch Black snarled at me, glaring at my siblings.

Anger welled inside me as my eyebrow twitched angrily. "'Brats'? What 'brats'? They're my siblings and you're not going to hurt them!" I yelled angrily at him, motioning for my siblings to come to me. They ran to me, climbed up on my bed, and I held them protectively in my arms, glaring at the Bogeyman. Sophie looked fearfully at Pitch while Jamie looked at him angrily.

The Nightmare King's face was twisted into a sneer. "Though I have every wish to cause them harm, I'm not here to deal with them." He glared at me with an evil smile. "I'm here for a Nightmare Princess."

"Good luck finding one," I snorted sarcastically. Pitch's eyes bore into me. "The only princess around here is the Princess of Light." Now where did that come from? I just blurted that without knowing who I meant…

"Precisely the one I'm looking for," he growled. I stiffened, chills running down my back.

Suddenly, a snowball hit the Nightmare King in the back of the head. Sophie laughed and Jamie cheered, while I cracked a smile. Pitch scowled and turned towards my window. Squatting on the windowsill was Jack Frost. He was poised as if he'd just thrown a snowball, which, I kinda guess he did. He had a silly but serious grin on his face.

"Jack!" Jamie cried happily. Jack gave him a smile.

"Frost," Pitch growled.

"Pitch," said Jack, mimicking Pitch, turning his attention back to him. "I would leave now, Pitch, before I get mad."

The King of Nightmares scoffed. "Not without what I came for." He turned back to me.

"That's not a smart move, Pitch," said another voice in a singsong tone, and Pitch froze, his face full of… was that fear?

"How?" he demanded angrily, searching for the owner of the voice, who I recognized as Nightlight. "You're dead!"

"That may be," Nightlight said. "But that doesn't mean I can't be a ghost. Now leave my friend alone, Pitch." Pitch regained his composure and sneered. Faster than I thought possible, he reached out and grabbed me by the arm, and started to pull me towards him. Nightlight jumped down from the ceiling, landing between me and Pitch, his spear pointed at the Bogeyman's chest. "Let her go. Now," Nightlight growled at Pitch Black, glaring at him angrily. Slowly, the steel grip on my wrist was loosened, and Pitch withdrew his hand back, glaring at Nightlight and the spear pointed at his chest. I rubbed my wrist, watching fearfully to see what would happen next. Pitch smiled cruelly at us then slunk away into the shadows, leaving behind a chill of evil in the air.

When Pitch was gone, Nightlight lowered his spear and turned to look at me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I threw my arms around him. "I am now," I cried. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Jack Frost raise his eyebrows. I turned to look at him, putting a hand on my hip. "What?"

"It's just, you're hugging air… I think…" he replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

Sadie gave Jack a look of confusion as she gestured to me. "You mean you cant… you cant see him?"

"See who?"

She turned to me. "Why cant he… why cant he see you?"

I sighed, giving her a shrug. "He can't. As I told you, you're the first in over three-hundred years who could see and hear me. The Guardians… they used to be my friends. But, some time ago, long before I met you, they stopped being able to, to see me. I tried to get their attention, but… they couldn't hear me either." I was lost in thought, speaking my thoughts out loud as I thought them. "The first time Pitch made a comeback, when the Guardians were just banding together, I was among them, protecting the youngest of them, Katherine, better known now as Mother Goose, who at the time was a ten-year-old mortal girl. She was my best friend…" The three Bennett children listened intently. Halfway through, I thought I saw Jack's eyes flicker with confusion and slight sadness.

"You're Nightlight?" Jack asked. I stumbled, my eyes wide.

"You can hear me?" I asked, surprised.

"After your story, I could sort of see you too." He leaned against his staff lazily. "I heard a bit about you, but not much. The Guardians don't like to talk about you that much. What happened to you?"

I grimaced. "The Guardians thought I was lost, thought I'd disappeared. Even when I was right in front of them, they couldn't see me. Katherine… Katherine was devastated. I couldn't comfort her because my hand went right through her, and she couldn't hear me. I used to visit her every day, trying to get her to see me again, but I gave up soon, and isolated myself from all of them." Sadie patted my shoulder, giving me a sympathetic smile.

"So you've been alone all this time?" Jack asked.

I nodded, and then turned back to Sadie and her siblings worriedly. "It's not safe for you here. I'll find someplace to hide you from Pitch."

"What about the Pole?" Jack offered. "It's well-protected by the yetis, and the other Guardians always seem to be hanging out there whenever something big is going on. And I would think that Pitch returning would be something big."

I wasn't too sure I was ready to face the Guardians again when they all thought I was… gone. _Sadie first,_ I thought. "It's perfect," I replied.

"Nightlight, what do we need?" Sadie asked. I helped her pack while Jack took Jamie and Sophie to pack. All they needed was a change of clothes, a toothbrush, a jacket, and a hat. As we did, I noticed her grab something I'd given her for her eighth birthday.

"Why weren't you wearing that?" I asked, referring to the pendent in her hand. It was filled with dreamdust, for when I'm not able to be with her to protect her.

She shrugged. "I guessed you were planning on staying and thought I didn't need it," she replied. She went ahead and clasped it around her neck. She looked down at it. "I really wish I had been wearing it; maybe then Pitch wouldn't have gotten so close."

"Hey, don't worry about that right now," I said soothingly, taking her hand and looking her in the eye. "I promise; everything will be okay." She gave me a soft, sad smile, but at least she wasn't crying or blaming herself.

**Excuse my fan-girling, but *squee!* THAT WAS ADORABLE AND I WROTE IT!**

***sigh* Okay, with that aside… I made some fanart for this story: ****link**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Do nothing but fan-girl/boy on the inside? I don't care!**


	5. The Pole

**(Sadie's POV)**

We were ready to leave in ten minutes.

"Alright, I'm not supposed to have this, but I think North will let it slide this time," Jack said, pulling a round snow globe out of his pocket. He shook it a little, whispering something to it and tossed it to the ground. Right before it touched the ground and could shatter into a million pieces, a greenish-bluish colored portal opened up. I gasped in surprise as Jack smirked. "Okay, Jamie, Sophie, you two will go through with me. Sadie and Nightlight, you two go first. And I would hang on if I were you."

I gave Nightlight a sideways glance, before taking his hand. He held mine and smiled at me reassuringly. "Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," I sighed nervously. We walked into the portal.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

We landed rather roughly, but unharmed. I took a look around. We were in a large room. First thing I noticed: at the center of the room stood an enormous globe covered in tiny glowing lights. Big, furry creatures that I assumed to be yetis were bustling around. Tiny elves were everywhere: I saw five playing with a string of lights, two eating a plate of cookies, three running around blindly, and four carrying toys and being chased by two yetis.

A group of about four or five people stood staring at us nearby as soon as we entered. I recognized most of them from Jamie's story about the Guardians.

I gave them sort of a half-wave, a shy smile on my face. "Hi."

Santa Claus, or North, was a large man with a long white beard. Running down either of his arms was a tattoo (one on each arm). One said 'Nice', while the other said 'Naughty'. I could see the two hilts of two swords sticking out from his coat.

Also among the group was a three-foot-tall man who appeared to be made of golden sand. Golden sand also swirled around him. I immediately recognized him as the Sandman, or Sandy.

There was also a lady who appeared to be part hummingbird who was flitting around me now, a worried, surprised, and confused look on her face. Flitting about her was about five or six other fairies, only tinier. I instantly knew this had to be the Tooth Fairy.

Moving closer was someone I recognized even without Sophie popping through the next second with Jack and Jamie and running to him, crying out, "Bunny!" Yep, it was the seven foot tall rabbit, the one who looked like he lived in the Australian outback and survived off whatever he found there.

Sophie hugged him around the middle. He smiled and patted her back. "Not so much of an ankle-biter anymore, are ya?" he asked, his thick Australian accent surprising me.

"Jack, what-?" Tooth started to ask, but she stopped as she saw Jack's expression.

"Yeah, uh, we have a problem," he said simply. Sophie looked at him from her position in Bunny's arms, Jamie's eyes looked down towards the floor, and I looked down, my eyes on Nightlight, who hadn't said a word since we'd arrived. I noticed him looking at something, his eyes full of hurt. I followed the direction his eyes were looking and saw what he was staring at: a girl, who appeared to be in her early twenties, with long wavy coffee brown hair and stormy grey eyes and who stood among the Guardians. She wore a hot pink beret, a short-sleeved pale yellow button-down, a hot pink miniskirt, and hot pink heels. Hanging across her shoulders was a pale yellow messenger bag. In one hand she held a red book. Behind one of her ears, a pencil was stuck.

"What sort of problem?" Bunny asked.

"Pitch," Jamie said simply. "He tried to kidnap my sister Sadie."

The girl that Nightlight was staring at blinked. "Pitch Black?" she asked, looking me in the eye. "The King of Nightmares? He attacked you?"

I nodded. "Yes. He would've gotten me if it weren't for my siblings and Jack."

The girl looked at me sympathetically. "You're very brave. I remember when I helped fight against Pitch with…" She trailed off, her voice cracking at the end. She took a deep breath, collecting her bearings. "Sorry, just, remembering…" Tooth patted her shoulder while the girl mumbled quietly to herself.

**(Katherine's POV)**

"Wait, uh, who is she?" Jack asked, pointing to me.

"Are you freakin' kidding me, Frostbite?" Bunny asked. "How can you not know her?!"

"Bunny, it's fine," I sighed, tired of this.

"No, it ain't, Katherine!" Bunny cried. "He should give you a bit more respect than that!"

"Bunny," I said sharply, annoyed now. "It's fine. Not many spirits know about me anyway. And remember, he only recently became a Guardian." Bunny huffed angrily but let the matter drop, thankfully. I looked over Sadie, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, they're all a little protective."

"I know the feeling," she grinned, glancing to the side at nothing. I let it slide, not fully understanding.

"I'm guessing you would need protection," North guessed. Sadie nodded, smiling with relief.

"I can show them to their rooms," I offered. North agreed and Sadie stood, Jamie and Sophie going over to her as she picked up her stuff, as she'd dropped some as she'd fallen in.

"Um, can I come too-?" Jack started.

"I think I can handle it, Jack," I said. "C'mon, you three." I led them down the halls, ducking past yetis.

"Hey, slow down will, ya?" Jamie asked. "I've wanted to see this place since I was little."

Sadie smiled. "You have until we leave here when its safe, you know."

"Oh, right."

I opened a door to a room that had two twin-sized beds in it. "This is yours and Sophie's room, Jamie," I said. "Sadie, yours is across the hall." I opened the door to the room she'd be staying in.

**(Sadie's POV)**

I walked into the room with Nightlight and Katherine. The floor was California oak wood, with beautiful patterns carved into it. The bed was a full-size bed with a dark blue bedspread with sparkly white dots that made it looked like a starry night sky. A bedside table made of birch wood had an intricate golden lamp on it. The ceiling was painted like a night sky, complete with a moon. Also, there was a little painting of a baby on a lunar moth with…with… "Nightlight?!" I whispered in shock.

"You know him?" Katherine asked hopefully.

"Uh…" I said. Nightlight shook his head quickly, and my mind raced. "No, I don't. I guessed, mostly. He seems like that could be his name."

"Oh, well that is his name," she replied a little sadly. "You know, it's kind of odd."

"What?"

"Well, you get attacked by the Boogeyman, you meet the Guardians, and you almost get kidnapped, and yet you seem so calm. Why?"

I brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "I dunno; it just seems so normal, yet I know it's not. I guess I'm just weird." Nightlight sat on my headboard and fiddled with his spear.

Katherine smiled. "Well, I have to go. Talk later?"

I smiled back. "Sure." She left and Nightlight breathed a sigh of relief. "Would you mind explaining why you didn't want me telling anyone about you?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't want anyone getting upset about me. It was pretty hard on all of them, me disappearing, especially Katherine."

I looked at him sadly. "It was that hard?"

He nodded. "It was hard just coming here." He fiddled with his spear nervous.

I cringed. "I'm sorry."

He half-heartedly chuckled. "You're more important than me."

**Sweet ending! *giggle***

**Review and give me some ideas on where I should go, please? This was hard enough to write. I need help!**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Do nothing?**


	6. Breakfast

**(Sadie's POV)**

I woke up. "Man, what a-" I was about to say "crazy dream" but I saw Nightlight over me and I knew he never stayed through the morning.

It really _hadn't_ been a dream. I really had gone to the North Pole. I really had met the Boogeyman, Jack Frost, Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Mother Goose. I really had almost gotten kidnaped.

"'Morning," Nightlight said.

I combed a hand through my hair. "Good morning," I laughed nervously.

His brow furrowed. "Something wrong?"

I sighed. "I just had hoped that last night was all a dream," I explained. "But it wasn't a dream, was it?"

He shook his head. "Breakfast is ready, if you're hungry."

I got up and told him to wait for me outside. I grabbed and put on a long-sleeved grey sweater, a pair of blue jeans, and some white socks. I looked myself in the mirror and combed my hair as best I could with my fingers. I walked out into the hall and walked out to breakfast with Nightlight. When he said "breakfast", I'd thought it would be a simple, low-key breakfast. Nothing too flashy.

What I got was a feast that was spread out down the table. Plates stacked high with buttery waffles and syrupy pancakes. Stacks of toast at least four feet high. Elaborate fruit arrangements. Eggs served in every way; sunny side up, scrambled, hard-boiled, deviled. French toast. Crispy, sizzling bacon. Many different kinds of coffee; regular, cappuccino, decaf, ice coffee, lattes, mocha, white coffee, black coffee, espresso, caffè latte, caffè macchiato. Muffins of so many flavors, I couldn't count them all. Bagels. Jars of all sorts of flavors of jam. Sausages. Poptarts. Cereal. Small plates of butter and margarine were set up near the toast and bagels for convenience. Pitchers of tea and juice.

Jamie and Sophie were already up, dressed, and eating. Jamie wore a regular white t-shirt and blue jeans. Sophie wore a sun yellow t-shirt and blue jeans. Both were barefoot. Jamie had a huge stack of pancakes covered in syrup and topped with butter. Sophie had a plate of scrambled eggs and a chocolate chip muffin. I noticed Jack beside Jamie drinking a cup of what looked like iced coffee, both boys laughing and talking. Sophie was chatting with another little girl I didn't recognize.

She was about the same age as Sophie, with curly/wavy milk chocolate brown hair, holly green eyes, a skinny figure, and mocha colored skin. She wore a red sweater, a red skirt, snow white tights, and little black Mary Janes. Her hair was held up by a big, crimson bow in the back.

The boy next to the little girl looked about my age. He had floppy dark brown hair, a lanky yet slightly muscular figure, and very pale skin. He wore a midnight black pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and white sneakers. I couldn't see his face as he was looking down at his plate.

Jamie noticed me first. "Good morning, Sadie," he said cheerfully. Sophie beamed at me and went back to her conversation.

The boy looked up. I could see he had dark, chocolate brown eyes. "You can sit here if you want," he said quietly while pointing to the empty seat next to him. Nervously, I sat next to him, playing with a loose strand of my hair. I grabbed a strawberry muffin and a glass of orange juice. I sipped the juice and began nibbling the muffin.

Why do I feel so nervous? He's just a boy. A really cute boy. No need for panicking. Just. A. Boy. That's it.

"So," he asked, "where'd Dad find you lot?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?" I replied uncertainly.

"Nick," Jack said, looking over at us. "I brought them."

"Oh," the boy, whose name was apparently Nick, replied. "They're the visitors?"

"Yeah," I said. "My name's Sadie Bennett."

He nodded at me. "Nick St. North." I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me. God, his smile was gorgeous. _…Where the heck did that come from…?_ I thought.

"Nick," the little girl said, tugging his sleeve. "Sophie and I are going to go play, okay?"

He smiled at her. "Of course, Holly."

He looked back at me. His eyes flickered between me and my right. "So who's he?" he asked.

I almost choked on my juice. "Who?"

"The boy. The boy floating next to you." He looked at me uncertainly.

"You see me?" Nightlight asked incredulously. Nick nodded slowly.

Katherine walked up and ruffled Nick's hair. "Hey, there," she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Kath," he replied, before turning back to me. "Who is he?"

"Who?" I asked, playing dumb.

He face palmed himself. "You know, just cause you're blonde doesn't mean you have to act like one. The boy!"

"Nick, who are you talking about?" Katherine asked, sounding concerned.

Nick looked at her, his face confused. "You don't see the boy _right_ next to her?"

"Are you feeling alright, Nick?"

"Nope," Nightlight said, sounding like he was holding back a laugh. "The name's Nightlight."

"Huh, Nightlight, what-?" Nick seemed to be freaking out.

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Nightlight? Nick, what are you talking about?"

"I-I- never mind," he sighed. "It's nothing."

Katherine said nothing for a while, before walking away, glancing back every so often.

Once she was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally," I sighed. "You, you see him?"

"Wha-?" he asked, sounding angry and confused.

"Shh." I held a finger to my lips.

"You lied about him!"

"I can explain."

He rolled his eyes and blew his bangs out of his face. "Then explain!"

"We should probably talk somewhere a bit more private." I motioned for him to follow me. I took him to my room and I sat on my bed. He stood in front of me with his arms crossed. Nightlight perched on my headboard.

I took a deep breath. "This is Nightlight; he's my best friend. He's been invisible for nearly five hundred years. It was better Katherine and the others didn't know about him, as they used to be his friends."

"What do you mean by, 'used to'?" he asked warily, his eyes narrowed.

"Some time ago, long before he met me, they stopped being able to see and hear him."

"How did they meet him?"

"The first time Pitch made a comeback, when the Guardians were just banding together, he was there keeping Katherine safe. And you see that painting over there?" I pointed up at the painting on the ceiling of Nightlight and the baby as Nick turned to look at it. "That's him and Manny before Pitch ever even became evil. Nightlight guarded Manny from nightmares when he was a baby."

Nick's eyes widened. "He's _that_ Nightlight?"

Nightlight and I nodded. "He found and befriended me when I was three. Ever since then, he's watched over me at night and kept nightmares away."

"Wow… We have to tell the others!" Nick cried enthusiastically.

"We can't; they don't see him," I argued. "It will only hurt them to bring up even his name."

"Hurt them?"

"My 'disappearance' is sort of a sore subject for them," Nightlight replied rather reluctantly. "Especially Katherine. Mentioning me will just be reopening an old wound."

Nick's expression softened. "Oh."

I nodded, looking down. "Yeah… So can you please not tell anyone else?"

"Who all knows about him?"

"Let's see:" I thought out loud, counting off my fingers, "me, you, Jamie, Sophie, and Jack."

"Jack knows about him?"

"And he sees and hears me, too," Nightlight replied, fiddling with his staff.

**(Sophie's POV) [Meanwhile…]**

"Hmm," Holly said. "I'll be a beautiful princess!"

"Okay," I replied slyly. "If you're a princess, I'll be the evil witch who locks you up!" I gave my best cackle.

"Wait!" she cried. "We need a knight in shining armor!"

I rubbed my chin. "Hmm… Who though?"

"Maybe Jamie?"

I shook my head. "Nah, he's busy with Jack. How about your brother?"

She shook her head. "He's busy with your sister," she sighed.

I snapped my fingers. "I know!"

"Who?"

"This really good friend of Sadie's. His name is Nightlight," I explained as we began walking toward Sadie's room.

"Nightlight?" I nodded. She thought for a minute. "He's not, _the_ Nightlight, is he?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, stopping.

She rocked on her heels. "The one Aunt Katherine tells us stories about sometimes. She told us he disappeared a long time ago."

I stopped. "Wow…that's the same thing he told us…that his friends stopped being able to see him a long time ago."

Her eyes widened. "I wanna meet him!"

"C'mon, he's probably with Sadie!" We hurried to Sadie's room. Sadie sat on the bed, Nick stood in front of her, and Nightlight perched on the headboard. All three of them turned and looked at us.

I gave a little wave. "Hi. Can we borrow Nightlight for a while?" I asked.

Sadie raised her eyebrows. "Uh…" She looked at Nightlight, who shrugged. "Why do you need him?"

"We need a knight for our game," I explained.

Holly tugged on my sleeve. "Is that him?" she whispered, pointing to Nightlight. I nodded. She looked between him and the painting on the ceiling.

Sadie and Nightlight seemed to have a mental argument for a while, before Sadie finally sighed. "Fine. Go ahead." Nightlight floated down to us and we pulled him along with us.

**(Sadie's POV)**

Nick chuckled. "They're cute."

I sighed. "Yeah…wish my sister wouldn't be annoying sometimes. What about you and your sister?"

He looked down. "First off, I should probably tell you: Holly and I are both Foundlings."

"Foundlings?"

"Yeah. It means we were orphaned at a young age and found by someone who took us in. I'm actually from Berk, an old Viking village. They train dragons there now, I've heard. And Holly, she's from Russia. She was only a baby. I was four. Dad found us both on Christmas Eve; me twelve years ago, Holly seven. We both almost froze to death."

We were both quiet for a while. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "Was it hard?"

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry. I barely remember Berk. Besides, I like it here better. I think Holly does too." Back to the awkward quiet. "You know, you're the first person I've met who's actually close to my age. It's nice to be able to talk to someone about stuff, huh?"

I nodded subconsciously, playing with a strand of hair. He sat down beside me. "I'm sort of a Foundling too, you know."

"You are?"

I nodded. "I was left as a baby on my parents' doorstep. Since no one claimed me as theirs, I was adopted by the Bennett's." I reached over to my pile of clothes and pulled out a yellow blanket that was tattered, but still sparkled like starlight. "This is all I have left of my blood family. This torn tag is all I have left to name myself as them." I showed him the tag, which had a torn word of _Lunan_ scribbled on it. "I want to find them, someday…"

Nick stiffened beside me. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"Like, a shuffle of sandpaper."

"I don't hear anything."

"…It was probably nothing. But I could've sworn I heard…"

A muffled, sandy whisper came out of nowhere. "Sh," I whispered, stiffening. "I think I just heard it." He gave me a pointed look, like, _told you_. "What is it?"

"I don't know." We sat in silence, waiting to see if we'd hear the noise again.

I stiffened again as I felt something touch my leg. "Nick? Was that you?"

"No."

"Then what's touching my leg?"

He looked down at my leg to see, and his eyes widened. "You really don't want to know."

I took his word for it. "Can you get rid of it?" I whispered, my voice a few octaves higher than normal.

He nodded and reached down. I averted my eyes to refrain from seeing what he didn't want me to see.

A few seconds later, the thing that pressed on my leg was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

He shrugged. "No problem," he replied shakily. "Glad to get rid of a Fearling."

**URGH! CURSE YOU, WRITER'S BLOCK!**

**Okay, okay, I'm done now.**

**I noticed a lot of you want me to reveal Nightlight to the Guardians. I have how he gets revealed all planed out, just that's gonna be much later. Sorry!**

**So. Does Nightlight now have some competition for Sadie's attention? You bet he will.**

**BTW, if you can't exactly visualize Nick, imagine a pale, freckleless, tall Hiccup from HTTYD.**

**Still need help; send ideas if you want!**

**Review? Favorite? Follow?**


	7. Danger

**(Sadie's POV)**

"F-Fearling?" I stuttered in shock. Nick's look became concerned and slightly confused.

"Yeah, but here's the weird thing:" Nick stated, "you weren't conscious of the Fearling being there, which should've let it take over you. But it couldn't. It was trying; but something kept it away. That necklace of yours couldn't have done it if you weren't conscious of it, and Nightlight isn't in here. So what kept you pure?"

I looked away while fingering the dreamsand pendent I had been given for my 8th birthday from Nightlight. "I-I don't know. Please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want the others to worry, especially Nightlight."

Nick looked up at the painting of Nightlight and the young Man in the Moon on the ceiling. "…Fine. It will stay between us."

I smiled, feeling relieved. "Thanks Nick." I looked at my hands in my lap. "Should we, I don't know, stay out of this room for a while?"

"That might be the best plan. C'mon, some of the other Guardians should be here by now." He stood, taking my hand, and I felt a little flutter in my chest – one similar to the one I got whenever Nightlight and I touched. We walked out of the room and headed towards the main room.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

When I saw Nightlight, I had to force a laugh down.

The outfit the girls had him dressed in looked ridiculous on him: a plastic golden crown that was tilted to the side, a large red cape draped across his shoulders, and his spear had been replaced by a large plastic sword.

His face was a furiously embarrassed red. I could tell he really didn't like it. He looked at me hopefully. "Alright, you two," I sternly mock-scolded Sophie and Holly, "I'd like to have my friend back, please."

They pouted, but they took the silly play clothes off of him. He gave me a relieved smile as he floated back over to me that said _thank you_.

Katherine walked up. Nightlight looked away from her; I could see it still hurt him to be unseen by them. "Sadie? Can I borrow you for a moment?" Katherine asked.

"Sure," I said and followed her. Nightlight remained behind with Nick and the girls. I followed Katherine to the room with the globe, where there apparently was a "Guardian meeting" going on.

North was barking orders to the yetis randomly, preparing for Christmas, which was only two weeks away. Tooth was also firing off orders to her mini-fairies about teeth. Bunny was attempting to warm his feet by the fire, and Sandy was commanding his dreamsands. I caught a glimpse of Jack, who seemed tired, but he kept up that silly grin of his. He was leaning against his staff lazily.

Finally, North stopped barking orders long enough to notice Katherine had brought me. "Ah! Sadie!" he exclaimed. Tooth stopped her rapid talking and looked over at me. Bunny hopped over closer, and Sandy nodded at me.

"Am I in trouble?" I asked nervously.

"What? No, no, we just want to ask-" North started.

"They want to hear about what happened the night Pitch attacked," Jack interrupted, finishing his thought.

"Oh, well then," I replied. I explained how Jamie told us a bedtime story, how Jack visited us, how I took the two to bed, and how I then got in bed myself.

I didn't mention Nightlight to them. He had told me strictly not to mention him, after all.

So, skipping the conversation between me and Nightlight, I described Pitch coming in and trying to scare me, and then the interruption of Jamie and Sophie. And then the further interruption of Jack with a snowball, which actually got a few snickers.

I began playing with a few strands of hair nervously as I continued, telling about how Pitch had grabbed me and tried to drag me into the shadows after him, and how…_Jack_ had stopped him and then how Pitch left through the shadows. Jack frowned at me as I said that part, but said nothing.

"And that's pretty much it," I summed up. "After that, Jack brought us here."

North mused for a while. "Thank you, Sadie," he said finally, waving me away. Relieved, I turned to walk away.

I got about halfway back to where Nightlight and the others were before Jack caught up with me and cornered me.

"Why did you lie," he asked, "about me saving you? You know Nightlight was the one who saved you."

I sighed. No point in playing dumb. "Nightlight doesn't want to be mentioned. He told me to not mention him as being around. The others all think he's either dead or just disappeared. He said something about being a bad memory for them…" I trailed off.

His brow furrowed. "But why? How is he a bad memory?" he asked. I shrugged, not replying.

**(Third POV) [Meanwhile, elsewhere…]**

Pitch slithered through a crack of shadow into the Bennett household. Typical. After his attempt to grab the girl, it was obvious that the children would be removed from the house. But by the strength of the fear here, those idiots obviously forgot to tell the parents. How…careless, of them. He could hear the delicious sobbing of the mother upstairs and the pitiful attempts of the father trying to comfort her.

What Pitch was looking for was anything to confirm his great suspicions; sure, the girl had the looks, but was she really who he had heard she was? He had heard rumors of a certain girl he'd thought was dead for centuries being seen somewhere, and he had tracked her down to this house.

He began searching through drawers and folders for documents. Finally, he got what he was after: a folder marked as _'Sadie's Adoption Records'_– more evidence to prove his suspicions. He opened it up, looking through the various files until he came across the one he was looking for.

_**Child's First Name: Sadie**_

_**Birth Name: Unknown**_

_**Date of Birth: Unknown**_

_**Adoption Age: 1 year old**_

_**Place of Birth: Unknown**_

_**Name of Birth Father: Unknown**_

_**Name of Birth Mother: Unknown**_

_**Reason for Adoption: Left on a doorstep**_

_**Date of Adoption: 1st January 1998**_

_**Name of Adoptive Mother: Julie Bennett**_

_**Name of Adoptive Father: Harold Bennett**_

This didn't give him enough information. He scowled, before catching glimpse of something at the bottom of the drawer. It looked like a school paper from when the girl was in kindergarten. It was titled, "My Favorite Memorie." A crayon drawing of the moon and stars was at the top, and below it was a messy description with several misspellings: _My favourite memorie iz my first memorie. That's becuse its so pretty. Its the nightsky, but I don't kno why. I don't kno if ill ever kno._

The moon's glow caught his eye through a window and he sneered. "Don't look at me like that, old friend. How long did you really think you could hide her? Or, did you even know at all? My Nightmares are ready to fight to take her." He swept his hands in front of him questioningly. "Are your Guardians?"

**(Sadie's POV) [Back with the Guardians…]**

I watched as Nick chased Sophie and Holly around playfully, pretending to be a monster. I crossed my arms and leaned against a pillar, a sad sort of smile creeping onto my face.

_I remember what it was like when I was their age,_ I thought. _It was so fun._ I frowned sadly, crossing my arms tighter. _Why did I ever have to grow up?_

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Nightlight, his expression concerned. "I'm fine," I said, smiling. "There's nothing to worry about." He forced a smile, and didn't press me any further.

Sophie ran up to me and tugged on my arm. "C'mon, Sadie, play with us!" she cried happily.

I smiled. "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" I laughed, letting her pull me along.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

I watched Sadie play with her sister and North's children. I was rather surprised by them at first, but North was caring; it was obvious he would take care of children, especially with all the help he has. No doubt Katherine helped him too when things got really busy.

I looked up at a skylight and saw the moon glowing down. I floated up to it and went out the skylight and sat on the roof. I had to talk with my Tsar.

_I know you can hear me,_ I thought to him. _Please, what will happen to Sadie? I don't care if I stay invisible forever; I just don't want anything to happen to her._ I waited for his reply. _Please talk to me; I-I need to know._

Finally, a moonbeam came trailing down to me. It danced around, coming to a stop in front of me. _Soon,_ it whispered, bowing to me.

I frowned. Soon what? That didn't tell me anything. I thanked the moonbeam, as it was rude to not thank someone for news, whether the news is good or bad or confusing, especially a moonbeam, as they had to travel quite far to deliver a message from the Tsar.

He apologized for being so vague. _I only said what Tsar Lunar told me. Some of us moonbeams are not sure if he knows what's going to happen,_ he replied. Then he streaked back up to the moon.

I worried for Sadie. She was hiding something, I could tell, but I wasn't going to press her if she wouldn't tell me herself. Still, I wondered what she was hiding. She told me everything, or at least, I thought she did. I furrowed my brow, then I looked down through the skylight. Jamie had joined in on the game, and appeared to be a wizard dressed in a blue cape and hat, waving a wooden stick that represented his wand. Sadie was laughing as Nick chased her and the other girls. I smiled. She looked happy. But I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong.

I tightened my grip on my staff and floated back down into the room.

Sadie smiled at me as she noticed me. "Oh, hey Nightlight-" she stopped midsentence, noticing my worried look. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, looking around. Something was wrong.

Something was coming.

_**DUN DUN DUN!**_** Well, Sadie lied to the Guardians, we got a bit of humor from Sophie and Holly, and Pitch makes an ominous threat. Pitch is gonna stir up some tension between the Guardians, and its gonna be ugly!**

**If this is too short to fit your taste, please file your complaint in a PM.**

**Um, I made a Tumblr blog thingie for Sadie if you wanna talk to her or ask her questions…you can give it some love if you want:**

**(http) : / / (ask) (the) (moon) (princess) . (tumblr) . (c0m) /**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Check out the blog?**


	8. Eclipse

**(Sadie's POV)**

The look on Nightlight's face sent me on high alert. It said _danger_.

Nick and I exchanged a silent glance before gathering the younger children into a tight circle, Sophie and Holly in the middle. Jamie refused to stand with them. "I'm helping," he snapped stubbornly, standing next to me and Nick. I looked to Nick for support, but Nick just shrugged. I let it slide. Nightlight continued to look around for any signs of Fearlings, his spear held at the ready. Black sand circled us slowly on the floor. Sophie whimpered fearfully. I pushed Jamie behind me protectively, and he didn't object.

The sand rose up in front of me into a form with golden yellow eyes. I glared at him as his mouth widened into a cruel, toothy grin. "Don't even think about it, Pitch," Nightlight growled, his spear pointed right at him.

The King of Nightmares rolled his eyes. "Oh, go chase a moonbeam, boy," he replied boredly. Nightlight gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing at Pitch.

I noticed the boomerang before Pitch did. It flew right between me and him, and, naturally, everyone looked in the direction the boomerang had come from. "That was a warnin'," Bunny growled. Sophie and Holly were behind him. I could only wonder how they had managed to sneak away. The Guardians all stood defensively.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at Pitch, her dagger drawn. "I thought I sensed a dark presence."

"Well, well, well," Pitch chuckled. "The whole gang's here. Katherine, you haven't changed a bit." Katherine glared at him angrily. "Of course, sadly, the same can't be said for another. Isn't that right," He paused, smiling into the shadows, "_Eclipse?_"

A dark cackle that sent a shiver down my back rose from the shadows. A shadowy figure stepped out, his head down. The room seemed to darken as he stepped into it. My eyes widened at the horrifying sight of him. He looked extremely similar to Nightlight.

He was short and thin in stature, looking frail. He had silver-grey hair, slightly wavy but straightened at the same time. Where Nightlight had soft edges this figure had all spikes and points. Claw gauntlets covered his hands and trailed up his arms. A layered chest piece and a layered cuirass allowed protection but also movement. He wore spiked boots that went up to his thighs. The top three layers of metal had spikes on his legs. Four dark spikes were sunk in his shoulders, two on each shoulder. Dimly glowing, white blood slowly oozed from them. Each breath was heavily labored.

Katherine held back a shriek, her eyes wide. "No," she whispered sharply, shaking her head, her eyes never leaving the figure. "It-it can't be him… Nightlight?"

The figure looked up at her quickly. "**Surprise!**" he laughed creepily.

His face was a thousand times worse; it could've been a rather handsome face, but it was marred by darkness. His eyes are blacked out save for white irises that seemed to spin into the black holes of his pupils. His teeth were sharpened to points. His smile was the ghastly, ghoulish smile of a Fearling; his black eyes glittering with glee.

I backed away from him, my heart pounding. This was not just any ordinary Fearling. This was someone–or some_thing_–much worse. His head quickly swiveled in my direction at my movement. I froze. "**Such a pretty light…**" he purred. "**So bright…Bright eyes, brighter heart, brightest light…**" He licked his lips, a hungry look in his eyes.

Pitch patted his head. "Not now, Eclipse," he scolded.

The figure, Eclipse, seemed to pout. "**But I'm starving, and it's so, **_**bright**_**…**" I thought I saw a little bit of drool escape his mouth.

I looked at the other Guardians, hoping for some help, but they seemed to be in as much shock as Katherine.

Finally, I looked at Nightlight. He appeared to be surveying Eclipse, taking him in. Nightlight's eyes were narrowed dangerously. Eclipse grinned hungrily at him.

Katherine trembled. "What-what did you do to him?!" she shrieked.

"Simple," Pitch replied, smiling. "He became corrupted."

"**I'm not Nightlight anymore,**" Eclipse sang maliciously. "**I am Eclipse now.**"

**(Nightlight's POV)**

Eclipse grinned at me. I glared back. "**Nightlight,**" he laughed, "**is dead.**"

I understood what Pitch was doing. He was making me out as dead and the only thing left was this Fearling version of me.

"I believe you know what I want," Pitch demanded. Sadie and I exchanged a glance. I could tell she was scared, but she was trying her best not to show it.

"An' why should you have her then, eh?" Bunny asked.

Pitch scowled. "Because if I don't get her peacefully, I will not hesitate to use force." Nick pushed Sadie behind him, glaring at Pitch. Jamie moved in front of her protectively as well.

Pitch's Nightmares suddenly flew at us and the battle was on.

Sandy grabbed one Nightmare with his whips and turned it into dreamsand, while Tooth sliced through the Nightmares with her wings. Bunny threw his boomerangs which sliced through several. The Pooka then grabbed Sophie and Holly and carried the two girls over to one of the worktops, placing them underneath. "Stay here, and don't move." They nodded before Bunny hurried away to join the other Guardians.

Eclipse grinned and flew at Sadie, who shrieked. I blocked him with my spear. "**Hehehehe,**" he giggled. "**I know you, light brat. I'm quite hungry. You have enough light to feed me for a while!**" He removed the top-most spikes from his legs, which were handles to daggers, and grinned wickedly. He attempted to strike at me, but I parried with my spear and threw him back.

Jack noticed Sophie and Holly hiding under the worktop. "Sadie, Nick, get over there with Jamie! I'll cover you!"

Sadie nodded before grabbing Nick's hand and her brother and hurrying over. Jack covered them, freezing any Nightmare which went near them, and the ones he didn't get were picked off by me slashing and stabbing through them with my spear. When Sadie reached the worktop, she shoved Jamie underneath; she and Nick remained standing in an effort to protect them, and Jack and I stood in front of them with our weapons raised.

Pitch appeared not far off, glaring at us. "I've been waiting a long time to do this to you, Frost. You too, light brat; you both ruined _everything_ for me."

With a battle cry, Jack flew through the air towards Pitch. But Pitch vanished, and it took Jack a few seconds to halt his attack before he glanced around for any signs of the shadowy figure.

Eclipse appeared again out of nowhere. Sadie shrunk back a bit fearfully.

"**No light, all night.**

**Such a pretty glow.**

**With my might, I will fight.**

**Down she will go!**" he cackled, taunting me. That was the tune of our lullaby. I saw red as I gritted my teeth, tightening my grip on my spear, and flew at him angrily. With a grin he vanished into dark smoke, leaving me wondering where he went.

Too late did we realize they were distractions to get us away from the kids–and when several Nightmares surrounded us, like they were doing with the other Guardians, we couldn't get back to them. My eyes widened. _No, I can't fail. Not-not like last time. Not like with…_ I couldn't think of their name, but I remembered they'd been important. And I had let them down and could never be able to undo what had happened. A flash of a memory skipped across my eyes: a silver cloaked figure…a child's cry…then a flash of light…

**(Sadie's POV)**

Pitch appeared before us, and Nick and I stood in front of our siblings, attempting to protect them. "Don't you even _dare_," I hissed.

"Spirited girl, aren't you, Luna?" Pitch smirked. "So full of…light. Even more light than your brother." He chuckled.

I frowned, glaring. "It's Sadie."

He chuckled again, ignoring me. "Tell me, do you fear the Nightmares surrounding you?" The man gestured to the surrounding Nightmares, who were snorting in a threatening manner.

I looked at them, then back at Pitch. "Honestly, no; they don't scare me."

The smile on Pitch's face only grew wider. "Of course they don't, Luna. See, that's what makes _you_ special out of all the others, _Luna_." The way he said "Luna", it sounded like more than just a name; it sounded like a threat.

My eyes narrowed. "Why do you keep calling me that? My name isn't Luna."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. See, your whole life is just one big lie. If you knew the truth, you'd never look at your family the same way again, nor your little glowing friend."

_What?_ I thought. "You don't know anything about me."

"No? I know your real family. I know why you were left on that doorstep fourteen years ago. I know where you learned that little lullaby you're _so_ fond of! I know your brother; your _real_ brother! _And_ I know what happened to your birth parents and who _killed_ them!"

I caught my breath. "You're lying," I insisted fiercely, but I sounded uncertain, even to myself.

"Am I?" he questioned.

Eclipse laughed and I shivered. "**May I, master?**"

"Yes. Remember not to overdo it," Pitch waved him off.

Eclipse licked his lips. "**I'll enjoy darkening that incredibly bright light of yours!**"

Jamie suddenly leapt up. "Don't touch my sister!" He barreled into Eclipse, knocking him off balance, but Eclipse was quick and caught his footing before he fell.

He then grabbed Jamie by the shirt and threw him away, before stalking towards him. "**Hehehehe. I think I'll deal with you first.**"

My eyes widened, and I launched myself at Eclipse. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Sadie!" Nick cried, attempting to stop me.

That's when something unbelievable happened.

When I touched Eclipse's arm in an effort to shove him away from my brother, a blinding light flashed from my hands, and Eclipse screeched unnaturally. He bit my wrist with his sharp teeth, and I hit him back hard. He let go and I fell backwards, landing on my butt on the floor. I began taking in deep breaths to calm down, clutching my wrist where he bit me.

Eclipse towered over me, that sadistic grin still on his face as he licked his lips. "**Delicious! Make more light!**"

**(Third POV)**

Pitch turned to look at Sadie, who was panting for breath and staring up at Eclipse with frightened, uncertain eyes. Those eyes…he thought he had seen those eyes before…long ago…but younger… In his mind he heard the cry of a baby as the memory flashed across his eyes.

_It's true…she is indeed the one I've been looking for…finally, after so long…_ Pitch grinned maliciously.

Jack and Nightlight were then suddenly between Eclipse and Sadie. Jack sent an icy blast in Pitch's direction as Nightlight tried to strike at Eclipse. The surrounding Nightmares turned into ice before exploding. Pitch shielded himself while Eclipse blocked the blow with his daggers. Both slunk back into the shadows, disappearing.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

Once I was certain the Boogeyman and Eclipse were gone, I turned my attention on Sadie and knelt down next to her. "Are you okay?" Then I saw her wrist and the blood on her hand. "Oh, no you're not." Nick, Holly, Jamie, and Sophie hurried over as well, along with the other Guardians.

She didn't move. All she did was stare uncertainly at the floor. "How did I do that?" she stammered. "There was this blinding flash of light…"

"Maybe it was the same thing I did when I turned his Nightmares into dreamsand," Jamie suggested.

Sadie didn't look convinced. "But not only that, after I hurt Eclipse, Pitch looked at me strangely… Almost…almost as if he, _recognized_ me from somewhere _before_ the incident when he tried to kidnap me." I saw a worried look on Bunny's face and wondered what this could possibly mean.

Nick helped her stand up. She was unsteady at first and staggered a bit. "Here," he insisted, draping her arm over his shoulders, "let me help."

She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Nick," she trembled.

I felt a pang of jealousy. But why would I be jealous? He's only helping her…when I should be the one doing that. But, of course, no one can see me, so it would look awkward for her to stand up on her own and drape her arm over "thin air." Still didn't stop the jealous feeling from being a nuisance.

"Now let's get that bite cleaned up," Nick remarked worriedly. "Dad, can you get the first aid kit?" North went to go get it. Sandy, Tooth, Bunny, Katherine, Jack, the other kids, and I followed behind Nick as he led her to her room. Tooth, Sandy, and Bunny made the kids, Katherine, and Jack wait outside. I waited outside too, but I paced in front of the door.

**(Sadie's POV)**

Nick gently helped me sit on the bed and went to the door, where North handed him the first aid kit. He walked over to me and sat in a chair across from me. He took my wrist in one hand and held the other out to me. "Can I see your necklace?" he asked.

Instinctively, I touched it with my other hand protectively. "Why?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Trust me; I'm just going to use the dreamsand inside to treat that Fearling bite."

I fingered it for a minute, before reluctantly removing it and handing it to him. He unscrewed the top, and a little flurry of dreamsand floated out. He quickly closed it again and guided the dreamsand into the wound. It seeped in slowly.

My vision began to clear, and I didn't feel as dizzy anymore. I blinked, staring at my wrist. "Wow; that works fast."

Nick smirked at me before he took some gauze from the first aid kit and began to wrap my wrist. "It should," he commented. "Dreams can be a powerful medicine against fear, so dreamsand should work against a wound from a Fearling." He finished tying the gauze off. "There; all done."

I smiled. "Thank you, Nick."

He grinned. "No problem. Now, let's put that necklace back on." I reached to take it from him, but he shook his head. "I'll put it on you. It'll be easier than trying to do it yourself." He stood and walked behind me, crawling across the bed to sit behind me. He pushed my hair aside and put my necklace in the center before clasping it back on.

Then he did something that surprised me: he kissed me on my cheek.

I felt my cheeks flush. I turned around to face him. He was sitting there, his head turned away from me, but I could just barely see the pink blush on his own cheeks.

**(Jack's POV)**

"What's taking so long?" Nightlight mumbled. "She should have that bite fixed up now."

"I'll check," I whispered to him. I got an "OK" from Katherine to check, and I cracked the door open and peeked inside. What I saw made me stiffen and close the door slowly. I stood in front of the door so they couldn't try to go in. "They're gonna be a while."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "How come?"

I shook my head. "Just, don't look. Just go on my word; you do not want to look in there."

Nightlight's eyes widened. "What's going on in there?" he asked dangerously.

"Just go back to whatever you were doing and give them privacy," I said tiredly, running a hand through my hair.

"Oh," Katherine said. "Oh!"

I think she got the wrong message. "It's not what you think!" I said hurriedly. "It's not that! It's defiantly not that!"

Katherine wiped her forehead tiredly. "I don't think I even want to know anymore."

"Well, then," Bunny said awkwardly. "I wonder how that could have escalated."

Katherine hit him on the arm. "Oh, shut it, Bunnymund!"

Sandy frowned and shook his finger at him. "What?" Bunny asked, sounding offended. Sandy motioned to the younger kids who I had forgotten were there. "Oh, right." If the Pooka could blush, he did.

"C'mon," Katherine said quickly, ushering the children away from the door. "Who wants to meet Kaliash?"

As Katherine led them to meet her goose and the others wandered off, Nightlight glared at me. "What. Is. Going. On. In. There?" I rubbed the back of my neck, not responding. "Jack, move," he growled. I shook my head quickly.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

Frowning, I pushed him aside and threw open the door of her room. I froze in the doorway. I couldn't breathe.

Sadie sat on the bed across from Nick. She was…she was…

"I tried to warn you," Jack apologized.

Sadie had her hand on the edge of Nick's chin, her eyes closed blissfully, her lips and his connected in a kiss.

My heart shattered. I felt… what? Angry? Jealous? Hurt? Betrayed? No, I realized.

I felt…lonely.

I slammed the door shut and stalked away from her room, a dull pain in my chest.

**First off: I don't own Eclipse. He belongs to ask-the-spectral-boy on Tumblr.**

**Second, I hope he scared the pants of you guys. Cause if just reading about what he looks and acts like doesn't scare you, then you might not want to look at any pictures… *shudder* Yep I'm gonna see that creepy little bugger in my nightmares for a while…**

**Anyway, I can't wait to play around with him; he's the tension I mentioned last chapter.**

**A few sweet little Nick/Sadie scenes and Nightlight is **_**so jealous**_**.**

**Nightlight: I'm not jealous. Sadie can date whoever she wants.**

**Pft, yeah right, Nightlight.**

**Review? Favorite? Follow? Visit my Tumblr blog?**


	9. Painful Memories

**WARNING!: Indications of depression, MAJOR self-harm and cutting, and suicidal thoughts and an attempt within.**

**(Sadie's POV)**

The slam of the door startled us. I tore away from Nick and looked at the door, my heart sinking, though why, I didn't know.

Nick's face was extremely red. "Well," he said.

My face was most likely a shade or two darker than his. "Yes," I agreed. We sat there awkwardly for a while.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

"Nightlight!" Jack called, trying to catch up with me. "Wait!"

"What?" I growled, not bothering to stop.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Away from the lovebirds, what do you think?"

"Yeah, no." He grabbed my shoulder and turned me to look at him. "You're jealous. I can see it in your eyes."

I pushed his hand away. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are. You can't deny it, Nightlight. You're jealous of Nick and Sadie."

"So what if I am? It doesn't matter if she prefers him over me," I grumbled. "As long as she's happy!"

Jack shook his head. "You have to control yourself."

"I know; I'm sorry," I sighed.

"Jack?" Katherine asked, startling us.

"Yeah?" he asked, quickly turning to face her.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked.

"Just myself," he replied, glancing at me.

"…Alright, then. Well, how are they?" She gestured in the general direction of Sadie's room.

"How would I know?!"

"I just thought… you know what? Never mind." She curled a strand of hair around her finger. "Well, have you heard of Santoff Clausen?"

He thought for a minute. "I think I've flown over it a few times. Why?"

"Well, the Guardians are going there for Christmas. It's kind of tradition. There's a big party and everything, and well, I've never seen you there."

"I mostly celebrate on my own."

"Well, I hope you'll perhaps think about it this year. We'd love to have you come. The kids would love it, too."

"Of course I'll come. It sounds like fun."

She smiled. "Thank you. Well, I have to go back to Big Root; preparations and such to make. See you around?" she asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"Yeah, sure," Jack agreed. She smiled and turned away, walking quickly with her heels clacking against the marble floor, her book held tightly to her chest.

I stared after her. "You do know what just happened, right?" I asked.

"I got invited to a party?" Jack asked uncertainly.

I shook my head. "By a girl who, if I'm not mistaken, seems to like you," I replied, finishing his sentence.

"That's nuts," he laughed, waving me off.

"Is it?"

He thought about it for a minute. "Let's say for a minute you're right. What of all this-" he gestured to himself as a whole-"is appealing?"

I laughed. "What do you think?"

He grinned. "Not one bit of me."

I wiped my forehead. "Well then we've got our work cut out for us: me controlling my emotions, you learning to look in a mirror." I laughed and dodged as he made a swipe at me.

He laughed too, then he frowned a bit. "Something tells me it's more than just jealous emotions, though."

I sighed. "It's just… okay, this is going to sound really, really weird but…somehow, I feel like, like I met her somewhere before that night we met."

He furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure I follow you."

I sighed. "I feel like I knew her before I died. But that's impossible; she wasn't even alive then! Besides, even if she was, she would've recognized me."

He shrugged. "Is reincarnation possible? 'Cause if it is, maybe she's a reincarnation of someone you knew."

"Very few are reincarnated, and I didn't even know that many people." I sighed. "It's a foolish thought, but I just can't get rid of it."

He put his arm around me. "It's okay. The chicks prefer living dudes normally anyway. Why do you think I haven't had a girl since I died?" he joked good-naturedly.

I shook my head at him, smirking. "But, you're not a ghost so how…?"

"Am I dead?" he finished. "Manny brought me back like this. I'm not dead, but I'm not alive either. I'm like a zombie!" He faked zombie noises and I laughed. As our laughter died down, he looked at me uncertainly. "So, you really think she likes me?"

"It's possible. But do you like her back?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure."

I smirked. "Then be careful of Papa Bear."

He looked nervously at me. "Papa Bear? Who's that?"

"North. He thinks of her as his daughter. They're super close. Heck, if both of them get to where they can see me, North will probably wring my neck for putting her through…" I trailed off, the memory painful. It was when I first learned I couldn't be seen…

**[Flashback] (Nightlight's Third POV)**

_It was a cloudy night. "North," a thirteen-year-old Katherine asked a much-younger North, "where's Nightlight? Didn't he go with you?" The Guardians had just returned, exhausted, from what they thought would be their final battle against Pitch. This question seemed to dampen their already sad mood._

_Nightlight perked up from the back of the group._ What?_ he thought. He brightened his glow and smiled at her. She didn't seem to notice him and continued to look at the others, looking for an answer to her question, her expression concerned._

"_Katherine," Toothiana said softly. Katherine turned to look at her. "He… he didn't make it out."_

"_No," Katherine cried._

"_He was so brave-"_

"_No!"_

"_And he will never be forgotten-"_

"_NO!" Katherine cried. Tears spilled from her eyes. She hugged North around the middle, sobbing. He patted her back comfortingly. For once, the man had no way to cheer her up. Ombric came over to her and hugged the girl he'd raised since she was a toddler as well._

_Nightlight looked at her, alarmed. Couldn't she see he was right there? He waved a hand in front of her and shined as brightly as he could. She did not look up at him. "K-Katherine?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse. She did not look in his direction, not even look up. "Katherine? Katherine! Can't you-can't you hear me?"_

"_Katherine," Ombric said lightly, "it is late. Perhaps we all should get some sleep." She sniffed, wiping away a tear, and nodded. She took a deep breath, and walked through Nightlight on her way to her bed._

_He gasped, clutching his chest in pain. _Why don't they see me?

_}~~~~~~~~~~{_

_Nightlight watched as his Katherine went into a state of depression._

_Little by little, she laughed and talked less and less. She hid everything underneath a smile. She withdrew herself from the others. She became very interested in long-sleeved jackets and wore them often. From her window he could hear her crying as she went to sleep._

_One night when Nightlight went to her window, he found something that both shocked and disturbed him._

_Katherine sat on the floor, her jacket off, a rare thing as she almost never removed it. Her back was to the door. In one hand she held her dagger, which was red with blood. Her other arm was bloody. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She gasped for a breath._

_His eyes widened as she put the dagger back towards her bloody arm and slit her arm over and over again. "No," he said fearfully. He pressed through into her room. "Katherine, stop!" He tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but, as it normally did, his hand passed through her and sent a sharp pain through him._

_She looked at her arm. She threw the dagger on the floor, frowning. "No," she mumbled. She went to the window, her arm still bleeding. She looked up at the night sky, or more specifically, the moon. She took a shaky breath. "It's not enough anymore." She closed her tear-filled eyes._

_And she let herself fall out the window. She was going to kill herself._

"_NO!" Nightlight screamed and attempted to grab her, but he couldn't touch her. "KATHERINE!"_

_Suddenly, North walked out of the door below. He noticed her falling above him. His eyes widened and he held out his arms and caught her._

_Nightlight breathed a sigh of relief._

_She was crying silently. North looked her over and saw the blood on her arm and the tears staining her cheeks. "Katherine," he said quietly. She opened one eye and looked at him, shaking from her sobs._

_Neither said another word._

_North took her inside and back up to her room._

_He stayed and watched over her that night, and for several more weeks. He had her dagger removed from her room and refused to let her out of bed. He claimed to the others that she was "sick" and he was taking care of her. He washed her scars himself._

_Slowly, Katherine was brought back to her usual self. She stopped cutting. She didn't throw herself out any windows. Every time she was sad, she went straight to North, and he would listen to her._

**[End Flashback] (Nightlight's POV)**

"Nightlight…Nightlight," Jack said, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," I apologized. "I was just… remembering…"

"Look, I was thinking," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I help you with those emotions, will you help me with this thing with Katherine?"

I smiled sadly, the memory still paining me. "It's a deal."

**This… this chapter was painful to write… *crying* ****I'm sorry, but I felt I needed to put this… no matter how painful it was…****I'm expecting I'll get no feedback on this chapter because of all the feels it gives. If you want to prove me wrong, go ahead…**

**What is wrong with me? I've been wanting to write nothing but angsty, depressing stuff and listen to depressing songs. I mean, just look at my other ROTG story. I left that with an angst cliff-hanger. (I still need to update it but I'm drained of ideas…bleh.)**

**Review? Favorite? Follow?**


	10. Santoff Clausen

**(Sadie's POV)**

Nick and I crept towards the main room, trying to forget what had happened. As we got nearer, we could hear talking ahead. We crept closer, listening curiously.

"What I don't understand," we heard Bunny grumble, "is why Pitch is so interested in Sadie."

Tooth looked up at the skylight. "Perhaps Manny knows something?" she wondered aloud. She and the other Guardians gathered around the circle with the _G_ for _Guardians_ in the middle.

A beam of moonlight fell on it. I gasped slightly as it opened, and a large round mirror emerged from the hole. Nightlight sat up from his perch on top of the Globe, his face concerned.

"Uh, guys, you know what this means?" Tooth asked, sounding stunned.

"No," Jack muttered.

"This _is_ serious if he is making personal call," North mused.

The mirror's image swirled a bit then became perfectly crystal clear. Then the image of a man in perhaps his mid-thirties appeared.

The man had a single curled strand of blonde hair protruding from his otherwise bald head, a short round figure, the most kindhearted face I'd ever seen, small dimples, and smile wrinkles, which suggested that he smiled a lot. He wore a fine yellow suit. He smiled at them warmly and welcomingly.

"It's been a long time, old friend, since we spoke like this," North greeted the man cheerfully.

"It undeniably has, Nicholas," the man agreed in the kindest voice I'd ever heard. His brow then furrowed, his smile becoming a frown. "I merely wish it were for pleasanter motives that we were articulating like this."

"What's the news?" Bunny asked nervously.

The man sighed. "Pitch discerns something about who she is, or at least assumes. What is more, he also distinguishes that I don't perceive what it is he fathoms apropos her."

"Hang on," Bunny said. "You mean to tell us there's something important that Pitch knows that we don't?"

"Regrettably, yes," the man sighed. "Pitch is ahead of us with this one."

I exchanged a glance with Nick. His face was both troubled and slightly confused. He mouthed to me,_ Who's that?_

"I think," I whispered quietly to him, "I think that's the Man in the Moon."

We continued to watch the Guardians, but my mind began to wander. I stared at the Man in the Moon, cocking my head in thought. Something about him was almost familiar… as if we'd met in a dream I almost couldn't remember…

Nick touched my arm lightly. I looked at him, then looked back at the Guardians one more time, before following him to go find our siblings.

**(Katherine's POV)**

"What do you think, Kailash?" I asked her as we flew home. "About this year's Christmas party?" She honked in response, and I frowned sadly. "Of course the Bennett children might be coming, too, if this danger of Pitch continues. Why?" She honked again, and I chuckled, patting her on the neck.

Kailash dipped downwards below the clouds as we approached the village. I smiled as I saw the village children outside Big Root, playing and inventing.

I saw Tall William the fourteenth, nicknamed Old William, watching his six sons; Tallish William, William the Almost Tallest, Young William, William the Almost Youngest the sixteenth, William on the Left, and William on the Right (the twins); and his two daughters, Willa the Absolute Youngest and Tall Willa. Old William was very proud of his daughters; most children of the William family were males; daughters were rare.

Old William saw me flying up and waved up at us. I waved back before I landed.

"Katherine!" the kids cried happily, swarming Kailash.

A wave of questions from the children washed over me.

"Did you go see North again, Katherine?" asked Anneke.

"How are Nick and Holly?" Tall Willa asked.

"Did you see Ombric? Is he coming this year again?" Dmitri asked excitedly. "His fireworks last year were awesome."

"Is everything all right?" Christoffer, the oldest of the children and Anneke's older brother, asked worriedly.

I softened. "To answer your questions, yes, Anneke, I did go see North. Tall Willa, Nick and Holly are doing perfectly well. Dmitri, I have not gotten around to asking him, but I am sure Ombric will be coming," I replied. I dismounted Kailash and started to trek towards Big Root's entrance.

"Katherine," Christoffer called, "you never answered my question."

I stopped. I was reluctant to answer the last question. I sighed. "Yes, Christoffer, everything is fine," I told him with a forced smile. I hated to lie to them, but I didn't want to scare them.

**Completely broke on ideas. I want them to go to Santoff Clausen, but I can't think of why they would need to go. Please help; all ideas I currently have are for later in the story, not now. *bleh…***

**Manny talks really smart because I thought, well, he's **_**Manny**_**. He kinda has to be smart.**

**Review? Favorite? Follow?**


	11. It's Bigger on the Inside

**(Sadie's POV)**

After Nick and I found our siblings, all five of us walked back towards where the Guardians were, not to snoop, but to have a better sense of security. When we walked in, the mirror that had shown the Man in the Moon was gone, and the Guardians were talking amongst themselves. The younger ones played quietly, not wanting to disrupt the Guardians. Nick and I watched them, while continuing to listen to the Guardians' conversation. Every so often, I'd glance up at Nightlight on the globe.

**(Nightlight's POV)**

"…So what are we going to do now?" Bunny asked. "Confront Pitch?"

A mini fairy flew up to Tooth. "Yes?" she asked. The fairy chirped in reply. "He's not there?" The fairy chirped again. Tooth turned back to the other Guardians. "There's no sign of him in his old lair; there isn't any trace of anyone living there. He must have found another one."

"So much for that idea," I muttered.

Jack rolled his eyes at me. "So now what do we do?"

North muttered to himself, musing as he paced back and forth in thought. Finally, he stopped, looking up, his eyes lit up. "IDEA!" he shouted, pointing at Bunny, who backed up a bit at the outburst. "_WE_ look in _every_ possible location!"

"Every possible…" Tooth started. "You mean look under every bed in the world?!"

"Exactly!" North cried. I sat up, concerned.

"You do realize how many _beds_ that is?!" Sadie spoke up, her eyebrows raised. "It'll take forever!"

"Nope. Just one night," North said, shrugging indifferently. "I deliver the same amount of presents in same time."

"And I hide _more_ than that in eggs in one day." Bunny smirked.

"And with my fairies, things will get done faster!" Tooth spoke up. "I suggest splitting off into groups."

"But if we're in groups, then it'll be easier for Pitch to attack us," Bunny pointed out.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. If we split up, things will move quicker. And it's better than being on our own."

"And let's not forget that we can help," Sadie spoke up, gesturing to her siblings, Nick, Holly, and herself.

"Hold on there," North said. He pointed at them. "You five would be safer here."

"But-" Nick started. "Wouldn't it be easier for Pitch to attack us here while all of you are out looking?"

"The kid's got a point, North," Bunny agreed.

North mused for a minute. "Hmm…"

"They could stay with Katherine at Big Root!" Tooth piped up.

"But we want to help!" Sadie protested.

"No," North said. "And that's final. You will stay with Katherine while we search. To the sleigh!"

North led the way towards where he kept his sleigh, the other Guardians, the children (though Nick did so rather grudgingly), and I following behind him.

I floated down to Sadie, grinning at her. "I'll stay with you guys, if you want," I offered.

She smiled. "Thanks. But if you really want to go help-"

"Even if I find something, none of them would know."

"Jack would." I went quiet. "Go. I know you want to. I'll be okay, Nightlight."

I dropped the conversation. By the time we reached the ice cave, the sleigh was already being prepared, the reindeer jumping about while the yetis tried to hold them steady.

**(Sadie's POV)**

My eyes widened at the sight of the sleigh. I had been expecting a tiny, old, wooden thing like what you'd see on Christmas Cards, but this… "That, is one amazingly tricked-out sleigh."

"Just wait 'til you see it fly," Nick replied with a smirk, sounding rather proud, apparently over his pouting.

North stood next to the sleigh and clapped his hands loudly. "Hop in! All of you!"

Jamie, Sophie, and Holly immediately leapt in, getting a front seat while Nick and I sat either side of them. Nightlight floated over and perched on the railing beside me. Tooth and Sandy sat down behind us, but Bunny hesitated.

"I think I'll be taking my tunnels, mate…" Bunny tried to reason.

"Ach! We'd lose you," North said as he grabbed him and sat him down in between Tooth and Sandy, who both smirked knowingly; they were all aware of Bunny's fear of flying.

"Well, at least install some seatbelts, mate!" Bunny complained. "There're kids in here."

North snapped his fingers. "Done." Seatbelts appeared… but only for Jamie, Sophie, Holly, and me.

Bunny was at least satisfied by that… but he still looked confused. "What about us, mate? And Nick!"

Nick turned to look at him with a smirk. "You and I don't _need_ one, rabbit."

North laughed. "Couldn't have said better myself, Nick!" He grabbed the reins and cracked them; the reindeer launched forwards at a tremendous speed, and as they ran through the icy tunnels beneath North's workshop, all that could be heard was the laughter from the children and Bunny's embarrassing screams of terror.

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

The sleigh appeared out the other end of the portal, which closed behind us. The snow globe dropped and North caught it in his hand. Below us was a small village surrounded by a vast woods covered in a blanket of snow, and at the center of the village was a large tree with many doors and windows. The whole place was a magical sight. I gasped at the sight of it.

"Pretty!" Sophie gasped in amazement.

"Welcome, to Santoff Claussen!" North boomed to us cheerily.

Some village kids spotted us and waved. We waved back, smiling. They followed below as North headed towards the large tree and landed. North instantly hopped out. The kids ran up to him, and North greeted them. Bunny needed help from both Jamie and Sophie getting out; his face was still a little green from the ride. "Tunnels," he kept muttering over and over. "Definitely taking the tunnels next time."

North strode towards the main entrance of the tree. The other Guardians, Nick, Holly, Jamie, Sophie, and I hurried after North, who burst through the giant wooden doors of the tree and called out, "Katherine!"

Startled, Katherine jumped, dropping the book she held in her hand. "North!" she gasped in surprise. "What's happened?"

I gasped as I looked at the interior of the tree. "It's bigger… on the inside…" I whispered to myself. A grand library, with shelves so high one would have to fly to reach the top, was spread out before us. A large goose honked at us from the corner; like not a "fat" kind of large– this goose was big enough for a person to ride on it, maybe even several people.

Katherine waved the goose off. "Kailash, they're friends." She turned back to us with worry. "What's happened, North?"

"Katherine, relax," North tried to calm her. "Everything is fine. Let me explain."

"So…" Katherine said after North explained. "I have to babysit them?"

"Pretty much," Nick grumbled.

North patted Holly on the head. "Be good for Katherine, 'ey?" She nodded, smiling at him. "Now, to ze sleigh!" The other Guardians followed, but Nightlight lingered, looking worriedly between me and the others. I made shooing motions with my hands. He brightened and then flew out after them.

**I'MSORRYFORSUCHALONGWAITWRITER'SBLOCKSUCKS.**

**I've been so busy the past week; FINALLY managed to finish and post this.**

**Review? Complain? Favorite? Follow?**


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